Let Her Live
by Just-Absolutely-Super
Summary: There's something amiss about Shou Tucker. Edward's paranoia leads him to investigate, not knowing that he and his brother will soon be rescuing one little girl from a cruel fate. [AU where the Elrics save Nina and Alexander from becoming a chimera]
1. Chapter 1

**AN:** Hey, guys! This fanfic has been my little project for a couple of months now. I wanted to make sure all parts were drafted before I could carry on with uploading it. This chapter was supposed to be a long-ass oneshot, but then the long-ass oneshot turned into a super, duper, long-ass oneshot thus I had no choice but to split it in half.

Anyways, so this monster of a fic is a Nina Lives AU. I love that little girl and after being subjected to watch her die _four fucking times_ in this franchise, I've decided to write a "What If" scenario of what things could have been had Ed figured out there was something not right about Shou Tucker and saved Nina (and Alexander by extension) from her fate.

This is manga (and FMA:B) compliant. However, to give credit where credit is due, my inspiration did come from Ed's behavior in the 2003 anime series when they covered chapter 4. I fucking hate the 2003 anime, but it gave me inspiration for this. So thank you FMA 03, you actually served some kind of purpose to me.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own FMA. If I did I wouldn't have the balls to kill off this sweet cinnamon roll of a child.

Also, some bits of dialogue here is taken from Viz's translation of FMA volume 2 (though some have been tweaked to fit the story better), so credit to them for writing out those bits for me.

* * *

Edward didn't know what it was, but there was something… _off_ about Shou Tucker.

He couldn't put his finger on it. The man seemed well meaning. He knew his bio-alchemic knowledge, despite the fact his recent attempts at making chimeras was fruitless in comparison to his first success. And he was able to get by caring for his young daughter without the presence of a mother. He was a quiet, soft-spoken man, but so far there wasn't anything about him that should spout off alarm bells in Ed's head.

And yet… _why_ did he continue to feel so on edge?

He confided in Al about his uneasiness, to which Al assumed he was just being paranoid. Mr. Tucker was a nice man. He was allowing them to invade his home to pour over his library, and distract his daughter while he worked on his upcoming assessment. Why would there be anything to worry about?

Ed shrugged, thinking that maybe Al was right and he was being paranoid. The guy was just socially awkward and liked to hole himself up in his research, he could completely understand that. But the subject of the annual assessment gave him pause. Tucker had failed his assessment last year because he was unable to produce similar results to his first successful creation—a chimera that could speak the human tongue.

If he was able to do it the first time, why couldn't he do it again?

And he had seemed very on edge since Lieutenant Havoc reminded him of the upcoming assessment. Most State Alchemists that Ed knew of—while finding it extremely annoying—never worried much about their yearly reviews. They were all cocky in their skills, Ed included (He's the youngest State Alchemist in history, a freaking prodigy and genius! Of course he'd ace that stupid assessment, it was child's play!).

Tucker didn't have that confidence. Ed mused he might just be the type to have low self-esteem and confidence, but that nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach gave him doubt.

Two years…he'd been a State Alchemist for two years and hadn't created a successful chimera since…

Nina said her mother had been gone for two years as well… Something about not appreciating Shou always working? It must've been a nasty divorce, as she hasn't even made contact with her only daughter ever since.

Tucker seems very fixated on the "what if's" too. What if he failed again? Then they'd take his license, and then he'd be out of a job. And what would he do then to keep his house and provide for his daughter and their large dog?

He looks like the type that would pull drastic measures in drastic times…

Ed's eyes widened and his heart leapt in his throat as a thought came to his head. A very nasty thought. A thought so twisted and evil, he's disgusted with himself for even thinking it. There's no way Tucker would—

But what if…?

Raising himself up on his bed, Edward looked at the clock. It was almost midnight. He should be getting his rest but sleep escapes him. He's too caught up in his thoughts and theories. Too worried about what would happen to the little girl with the innocent eyes and kind smile living in that house should the off chance be he's right…

"Brother, what's the matter?" came Alphonse's voice from the other side of the room.

Ed let out a breath through his nose, "I'm not sure, Al, but I just…have this feeling in my gut. There's something suspicious about Shou Tucker, I just know it!"

"Why would you think that?" Al asked, but not in accusation. His younger brother was merely curious. What would cause the older brother to have these paranoid thoughts about this man?

Ed was silent for a bit before he pulled himself out of bed and started to dress himself.

"I'll tell you on the way."

Al jumped, "On the way to where? What's going on, Brother?"

"We're going back to the Tucker residence," he replied. Before Al could protest, Ed said, "I know what you're going to say, but I don't care. I just need to go there. To ease this anxiety I'm feeling."

"And it can't wait until morning?"

"Nope."

He heard his brother sigh before his resigned voice echoed out of the suit of armor, "Fine, we'll go. But if we get arrested for breaking and entering, I'm blaming you!"

Ed chuckled, "Yeah, yeah, I'll take full responsibility. Now let's get moving!"

* * *

The night was dark, illuminated by the light of the moon and the streetlamps. Edward and Alphonse made their trek back to the Tucker residence, Ed explaining to Al his musings and theories that had been plaguing him for the past couple of days.

"That's why we're sneaking to their place in the middle of the night? Because of a baseless conspiracy?"

"I know how it sounds! I don't have any solid proof or evidence, but just trust me on this, Al. There's always been something strange about Shou Tucker. You've felt it too, right?"

The suit of armor shrugged, "True, he's on the…odd side. But that doesn't mean he turned his own wife into that chimera two years ago! And he wouldn't turn Nina into one either! She's his daughter, Brother, who would _do_ such a thing!?"

There are some terrible people in the world, Ed thought. In his research for the Stone, Ed had come across many articles about alchemists who were arrested for taking their powers too far. Some were the usual taboos—human transmutation attempts, making gold for themselves, trying to overthrow the government, etc.—but other accounts were far more appalling; many inhumane. Reading them made Ed sick to his stomach.

And the reasons for those alchemists' actions were always the same.

They did it just to see if they _could_.

Edward was always one for research and testing hypotheses, but those words left a nasty taste in his mouth. He and Al knew probably more than anyone else that alchemy shouldn't be used to go into God's domain. It'd only cause you trouble. Just because you think you can doesn't necessarily mean you _should_.

And it's this line of thinking that made Ed suspect Tucker of trying to play God.

He shouldn't, but is he desperate enough to think he _can_?

"We're here, Brother."

Ed shook the thoughts from his head as he gazed up at the Tucker residence.

The house was pitch black except for one tiny light—most likely from a lamp—in one of the upstairs windows.

"Someone is still up," Ed said.

"It's probably Mr. Tucker's study. Remember, he's been up the past couple of nights preparing for his assessment."

Ed remembered.

But he was still uneasy.

"Give me a boost."

"Excuse me?"

"Come on, Al. We made it this far. I gotta see what he's doing."

"What if he sees you?"

"I'll think of something."

"That's not very reassuring!"

"Are you gonna help or not?!"

Al looked like he was debating with himself. Go along with his insane older brother, or do the logical thing and drag him by his braid back to their hotel room?

The choice should be obvious, but…

"Fine!" Al groaned as he crouched down so he could give Ed a boost, "Honestly, why do I always end up going along with your crazy stunts?"

As Ed was lifted onto his brother's shoulders, he tried to be as inconspicuous as possible as he peered into the window.

Even with the light by the small lamp on the desk it was still too dark to see. He thought he could make out Shou Tucker crouching on the ground. His hands were moving—making a transmutation circle, Ed presumed. Tucker must be trying to make another chimera.

Al was whispering to his brother, trying to ask what Ed was seeing, but Ed shushed him. It all looked innocent enough, but Ed didn't want to call it a night just yet.

Finally, Shou Tucker moved out of the way and Ed caught a glimpse of what his body was hiding and what—or rather _who_ —was in the middle of the transmutation circle.

It was Nina and Alexander, Nina sleeping against the white dog as it obediently stayed put.

Tucker was saying something to his daughter, but Ed couldn't make it out through the glass. Once he saw that Tucker was about to lay his hands down to perform the transmutation, Ed decided that it was time to stop observing and start _acting_!

 _CRASH!_

"What the—?"

"SHOU TUCKER! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, YOU _BASTARD_!"

Ed had launched off of Al's shoulders and busted through the window, lunging at Tucker and landing a punch into the older man's jaw.

* * *

"Brother? BROTHER?!" Al called, surprised at the enraged screams of his brother and the sounds of his metal fist hitting flesh.

Thinking fast, Al ran to the door. It was locked, but Al rammed into it, effectively knocking it down. He ran through the house to make his way into the study. When he came in, he gasped. Thankfully, Ed had stopped the transmutation in time, as Nina and Alexander were still innocently sitting in the transmutation circle, the little girl fast asleep against her dog. Alexander's head perked up, watching the skirmish that was Edward beating his master to a pulp. Al could tell the canine was conflicted though: stay put and protect Nina, or try to fight off the small alchemist from his owner?

Al hurried to the child and gently picked her up. Alexander whined, but Al shushed him, giving him calming pats on the head, "It's okay, boy. We're here to help."

He felt Nina stir in his arms, causing Al to slightly panic. He had to get her out of the room. If she were to wake up and see "Big Brother Edward" hurting her father, who knows how the little girl would react?

Grabbing a hold of Alexander's collar, Al led the two away from the scene, hoping to take them to Nina's bedroom.

There was the sound of Shou's skull hitting the wall behind him, followed by twisted laughter from the man. Al spared a glance, seeing Nina's father with blood gushing from his nose and his lip as he laughed at Edward, whose glove was stained with blood and ripped from punching too hard.

"WHAT'S SO FUNNY, OLD MAN?!"

"Wha's goin' on?" Nina slurred, voice thick with sleep and eyes trying to pry themselves open at the noise.

"Shhhh." Al hushed the four year old, "It's me, Alphonse. You, me, and Alexander are going to go back to bed. Okay?"

Nina looked confused. Snuggling deeper into Al's armored embrace she yawned and asked, "Where's daddy? He said he needed my help with his studying. Alexander too."

If Al were able to, he'd give the girl a sad look. He's thankful his brother acted on his instincts. The boy couldn't bear to think about what would have happened had they come a minute later…

"Go back to sleep, Nina. We'll play some more with you in the morning, okay?"

With a tired nod, the girl fell back asleep. From the study's room, Al could still hear Shou Tucker's uncontrollable laughter and his brother's screams.

* * *

Ed hardly registered what was happening in the background with his brother and the little girl. He was just so _furious_! He was right. He had a hunch and he was _right_ , damn it! Shou Tucker, desperate to be a State Alchemist and earn an income, used his wife to make a talking chimera two years ago. And when he was unable to deliver satisfactory results to the military the following year, he was overcome by desperation again and decided to use his _own daughter and her dog_!

It was cruel.

It was mad.

It was _wrong_!

And the bastard was _laughing about it_?!

"I said, what's so FUNNY?! ANSWER ME, GODDAMN IT!" he yelled, kicking Tucker in the ribs for good measure.

"You are," came his response, his voice sounding funny considering he was speaking through a bruised face and busted lip.

" _Excuse me_?!"

Shou Tucker struggled as he stood up, staring down Edward with a sober expression, "The progress of medicine… The progress of human knowledge…is the _result_ of experimenting on humans. Someone has to do it. As a scientist, you should be the first to—"

"SHUT UP! JUST _SHUT UP_!" How dare he? How _dare he_ compare them like this? "Do you think you're going to get away with this? Playing around with people's _lives_?!"

"People's lives?" Tucker repeated, the look in his eyes reflecting insanity, "Ha ha, yes, people's _lives_! You're the Fullmetal Alchemist! You mean like your _brother's_ life and your _arm_? That's also the result of 'playing around with people's lives,' yes?"

Edward snapped, sending another hard punch into his face. But that didn't stop Shou Tucker from _laughing_.

"You and I are just the same!"

"That's not true!" Ed screamed. It's not. He's nothing like this man. What he and Al did back then…that was _different_! They weren't just trying to make a _new_ life, they were trying to bring back their mother, damn it!

They were just children. They didn't think… They couldn't have known…

But _him_? He's an adult! That was his only _daughter_! _He_ should know better!

They aren't alike.

They just can't be…

"You're no different than I am!" continued Shou Tucker, "You thought you could do it so you _did_!"

 _You thought you could do it so you did._

Those words…

No, he wouldn't… He can't be…

Shaking his head, Ed continued his onslaught, all the while screaming, "THAT'S NOT TRUE!"

"You couldn't help but try it even if it _was_ forbidden! In fact, _because_ it's forbidden!"

"That's not true! We alchemist would never do that! We'd never… _I'd_ never…!"

Before he could land another blow to the man, he felt a hand clench his wrist.

"Brother, any more and you'll kill him."

Al.

Clenching his teeth, Ed pulled back. He turned away from the sick, twisted man and headed out the door. Hopefully he can get Nina and Alexander and take them back to their hotel and away from this monster.

"Haha…" came Shou Tucker's weak voice. Why couldn't the old man just _shut up_? "Pretty words don't get anything done."

"Mr. Tucker," Al said, his voice eerily calm, "if you say one more word, this time _I'll_ be the one to snap."

With that, the two brothers left the man slumped against the wall.

* * *

It was raining that morning.

After Al stopped Ed's rampage against Tucker, the oldest of the two went to a nearby phone to inform Colonel Mustang of what had transpired while the younger went back to Nina's room and keep watch of the girl.

The Colonel wasn't too thrilled at being called at one in the morning, but after hearing Edward's report, he sobered up and ordered some troops to the Tucker residence to take the man into custody. He told Edward to keep the girl with him and his brother, and come to East City HQ later on in the morning to figure out what the next step would be.

After the military personnel arrived to guard the house and formally arrest Tucker, Ed scooped the still sleeping Nina into his arms while Al piled some of her belongings into a suitcase (she may not be able to come back home after all…). He then found Alexander's leash to lead him back to their hotel.

"The hotel doesn't allow animals…" Al said.

"They can just get over it," Ed stubbornly replied, shifting Nina higher in his arms. The four year old must've been a heavy sleeper. She never stirred since that initial rousing in the study.

That was another problem they'd have to deal with: what to tell Nina. The girl loved her father very much. How do you break it to someone so young and so innocent to the world that the person they looked up to tried to make them into their own alchemic experiment?

How do you tell them that they may never see their father again?

Hours later, Edward and Alphonse took Nina with them to East City HQ. They skirted around the truth, saying that her father was "very busy," and that they "were going to watch after her for a while." Nina bought it, but the boys knew it was a matter of time before they'd have to bite the bullet and tell her the truth. For now, this was enough.

While Roy was expecting the Elrics to bring the little girl, it was the presence of the big white dog that made his eye twitch.

"Unless he's a service dog, they don't allow pets in here. How did you manage to get him past the front door?"

Ed knocked on Al's chest plate, "Would you believe this suit of armor can carry an overgrown dog too?" Before Roy could retort, Ed cut him off, "Look, the stupid dog has nowhere to go, and we can't exactly hide him in our hotel room like we did this morning. He's well trained as long as Nina is with him. He should be fine."

Sighing, Roy allowed the dog to stay in his office on the grounds he didn't make a mess of the place. Taking the Elric brothers into a back room to discuss some things, Mustang left the girl and her dog in the company of the rest of his subordinates. Fuery was all too willing to help take care of Alexander, a dog lover at heart that he was. The others weren't quite sure what to do with Nina though. How do you entertain a toddler anyway?

Thankfully, Lieutenant Hawkeye came to their rescue. She placed a few pieces of paper on the ground and started to fold one piece together.

"Have you ever made paper dolls before, Nina?" she asked the girl with a small smile.

Nina shook her head no.

"Here, I'll show you."

God bless Riza Hawkeye!

Roy rolled his eyes at the relieved look on the men's faces and closed the door to give him and the Elrics their privacy.

The Colonel informed the brothers of what the initial plan was. Tucker is to have his license as a State Alchemist revoked and then be taken to Central City to be put on trial for his crime two years ago at turning his wife into a chimera and then the attempt to transmute his daughter into one. It was likely Edward and Alphonse would have to go to Central as well to be present for the trial, as they were key eyewitnesses to the goings on the previous night.

Edward had no problems with that. But it was what they planned to do with Nina that had him worried.

"Well," Colonel Mustang began after Ed asked, "the most logical conclusion would be that we would have to find a close living relative for Miss Nina to stay with."

Ed nodded at that. That made sense. But did Nina even _have_ living kin to go to? Mustang informed the two that Tucker had no known family that the military knew of. Nina mentioned her mother's parents, but they were supplied by Tucker to be alibis for why his wife wasn't around. For all Ed knew, they weren't around either.

"If that doesn't work out," Mustang continued, "Then the girl would have to go into an orphanage. It's hard to say for sure though, we'd have to bring a social worker on board to help take care of the finer details."

Ed's heart dropped into his stomach. An orphanage? Ed doesn't know much about those, but he understands the gist of it. Nina would be shipped off into an unfamiliar home full of a bunch of kids and then have to play the waiting game on whether or not she'd get adopted. It'd also be a question of whether or not the family adopting her would even be good to her if they took her. And what about Alexander? As far as Ed knew, orphanages didn't take in the individual's pets too. The poor pup may end up in a pound somewhere.

That's not right. Ed didn't want that for either of them.

"What about Al and me?" he desperately asked, "Why can't we take care of them?"

The Colonel raised an eyebrow, his face screwed up into a tight frown. "I know you think you're an adult Edward, but the fact of the matter is you aren't. You're fifteen. If you wanted to legally adopt Nina Tucker, then you'd have to be eighteen years of age. I'm sorry, but that's how the law works."

Ed huffed. He understood where the Colonel was coming from, but it was just _so unfair_! When he and Al lost their mother, there wasn't any talk of stupid orphanages (then again, Resembool didn't even _have_ an orphanage…). Pinako just stepped up and declared that she'd be the boys' guardian from now on and nobody batted an eye at it!

Stupid cities.

Stupid laws.

Stupid Colonel.

Stupid—

Wait!

"What about a foster home? Like, have Nina go and live with a family that would be good for her?"

Roy nodded, "That is another option. But like I said earlier, we'd need a social worker to help with those finer details. Besides, we don't have a family willing to take in a child on such short notice right now—"

"I know the _perfect_ family!" Ed declared.

Roy paused, "Really? Would they be willing to do this? Like I said, it is short notice. And it would still take a couple of weeks to get any paperwork done. Who did you have in mind anyway?"

Al looked hopeful, "You're talking about Granny and Winry, right Brother?"

Ed shot his younger brother a grin, "You bet I am! There's no one else better suited for the job!" he then turned back to Mustang, "Of course, they'd be willing! Granny could use an extra hand around the house. There's a big field for her and Alexander to play in. And Nina would love Den, too! Maybe Den and Alexander can be playmates. And remember, Al, how Winry once said she'd always wanted a little sister? I don't see any problems!"

"Well, there is one." Roy chimed in.

"Oh yeah? And what could _that_ be, Colonel Asshole?" Ed snarled.

Rolling his eyes and ignoring the rude name, Roy said, "Would _Nina_ want to live there?"

Ed paused, staring at the ground.

Well, why _wouldn't_ she? Pinako and Winry were the best! True, Granny might put her to work doing chores and stuff, but that's normal right? And she may not be interested in automail, but that didn't have to matter!

They were good people! They'd be good to her. They'd be ten times better than Shou Tucker, Ed is sure about that!

But in the end, it _was_ Nina's choice wasn't it?

Ed hoped she'd want to go.

Maybe not initially… She might not like the idea of leaving something as familiar as her home. And then there was the subject of _why_ exactly she had to live in a new place with a new family who she had never even met…

Ed sighed as he slumped in his seat, putting a hand over his face. Al, trying to give his brother support, patted him on the shoulder.

"Let's not think too hard about it, okay Brother?" he soothed, "Colonel Mustang had said it'd be a few weeks anyway, right? Maybe we can have Granny and Winry come visit us here. They can introduce themselves and get acquainted with Nina. That would make things easier, right?"

It would. But there was the fact that the Rockbells had business back home to attend to. Could they really drop everything to come to East City to make sure one girl was comfortable? He knew they would say it's okay, he was sure of that; but Ed hated burdening them by keeping them from their work…

"You two can talk more about it later." Colonel Mustang interrupted his thoughts, "For now, you boys should rest. While we cannot legally allow Nina in your custody, you two can act as chaperones. After all, with the way things are for her now, she is completely under military custody now."

Ed and Al nodded.

"Where will we stay?" Alphonse asked. Protective custody doesn't sound like a paid vacation, so a hotel should be ruled out. Besides, even if the girl _was_ allowed to stay with them in their current lodgings, the fact that they had her dog with them put a wrench in their plans.

In the end, they were relocated to a safe house somewhere in the city. Since Edward was military personnel, the Colonel allowed that to bypass the use of extra guards. However, he made sure to emphasize to the boys (mostly the bullheaded Edward) that if need be, they can use the radio to request more guards as back-up.

The house was modest enough, and there was a yard for Nina and Alexander to play in. Though with the current weather, the girl opted to stay indoors with the brothers.

Ed noticed she looked significantly sadder than when the day first started.

"I miss Daddy," she confided. "Will he be visiting soon, Big Brother Ed?"

A lump formed in the back of Edward's throat. He had to tell her, but how?

Al sensed his brother's struggle and opted for distraction, "Hey, Nina. Why don't you show me the dolls you made with the lieutenant? I bet they're really neat!"

It worked as Nina happily showed Alphonse her newest playthings Riza helped her create. Though Ed could still tell her smile didn't quite reach her eyes. He stepped out of the safe house, staring at the dreary, rainy sky.

"What's on your mind, Fullmetal?"

Ed didn't realize the Colonel was still with them. He and Lieutenant Hawkeye (always by her commanding officer's side) were also outside—either waiting for the rain to let up or having a quiet moment together, Edward wasn't sure. But Mustang had asked him a question, so he might as well answer it.

Ed shrugged, "She doesn't know what Tucker tried to do to her. _Almost_ succeeded in doing to her. How… How do you tell that to a little kid?"

Roy and Riza shared a look before Roy spoke, "For starters, you can't keep avoiding the topic. That won't do any good, especially if you plan on taking her back home to Resembool."

Ed frowned. As much as he hated it, the bastard had a point…

"You are in a very difficult position, Edward," Lieutenant Hawkeye calmly told him, "but just explain to her the best you can about what is going on. She has every right to know."

Riza then got a faraway look in her eyes, "Shou Tucker failed as a father. Maybe she won't understand it now, but in the future she will, and she will end up thanking you for it, Edward."

Ed's eyes widened. He didn't realize it, but the lieutenant's words reassured him of something he was afraid to admit to himself.

What if—after all was said and done—Nina ended up _hating_ him for separating her from her father.

He'd only known her for a couple of days, but he grew attached to her. She was the closest thing to a little sister he had. The thought of her hating him killed him inside. He was so glad he followed his uneasy feeling the previous night and saved her from a fate probably worse than death itself.

If he and Al had been a moment too late…

"If there ever truly was 'the work of the devil,' then it would have been this," he heard Riza say to the colonel. They seemed to be having a conversation of their own.

"The devil?" Roy replied, "To put it bluntly, _all_ state alchemists are nothing but the military's human weapons. We do what they want, we obey orders, and we don't complain if our hands get dirty in the process. My point being that when it comes to messing with human lives, Tucker's actions aren't so different from our own."

 _"Tucker's actions aren't so different from our own."_

 _"You and I are just the same!"_

 _"You're no different than I am!"_

 _"You thought you could do it so you did!"_

Ed gritted his teeth.

"That's the logic of an adult, sir," Riza replied to the Colonel's bleak viewpoint, "Even though Edward acts older than his years, he's still a child."

They did realize he was still standing next to them, right?

"Yes. But the path that he's chosen will no doubt lead to hardships greater than he faced today. He has to move forward… Even if it means forcing himself to understand."

Roy then turned his gaze back to Edward, "Isn't that right, Fullmetal?"

Ed didn't say anything; he understood the gist of Roy's little speech. The colonel must've known about Ed's conflict, about being compared to someone like Shou Tucker.

"Even though people call you a 'Dog of the Military' and a 'Devil,'" Roy continued, elaborating his point, "it was _you_ who chose to keep studying alchemy. You _chose_ to join the military, when you could have lived the rest of your life as best you can with the body you have. Can you afford to be held back by something so small?"

Ed perked up at that. Mustang thought this would deter him in his quest to get his and Al's bodies back? True, it was a bit of a setback. After all, he has a better understanding about the darkness of alchemy. What lengths would you go to get what you want?

What lengths would _he_ go through to get what _he_ wants?

Whatever lengths they are, Ed knows in his heart they won't be as inhumane as Shou Tucker's. He'd rather die as he is now than do that and later have to face his little brother.

"'Something so small'…?" he finally speaks, "You're right. People may call us dogs or devils, but Al and I _will_ get our original bodies back. But we're not devils or gods. We're humans!"

It could have been so easy to fail one little girl. They're just pathetic human beings; pathetic human beings who make pathetic human mistakes.

That's part of life, right?

Were there others out there in the world like Shou Tucker? Using their gifts for maniacal means like this? What about all the other Nina's in the world? Were there any Elric Brothers in their lives to help save them and protect them?

Ed doesn't want to think about it.

He and Al have to finish their quest to get their bodies back. Maybe afterwards, they can focus more on the future—a future where little girls don't have to suffer.

* * *

Once Mustang and Hawkeye left, Ed went back inside. He glanced in the living room where he left Al, Nina, and Alexander. Al was on one end of the couch, stroking Nina's hair as she slept on the other end, Alexander at his brother's feet.

"She misses home." Al whispered, "She misses her father."

Ed nodded. Lieutenant Hawkeye told him to be honest with the girl, but that was still easier said than done. But it can't be helped. Mustang promised that a social worker would meet with them tomorrow morning. It was time to move forward and introduce Nina to what Ed hoped will be her new life.

Looking at the landline, Ed decided that it was time to pay the Rockbells a call.

After dialing the number, he waited a few rings before he heard the bubbly voice of his childhood friend.

"Hello, Rockbell Automail! This is Winry speaking, how may I help you?"

"Hey, Winry. It's me."

There was a pause. Ed wondered if the line was cut off from the rain before he heard Winry's voice again—this time shrill and angry.

"Edward Elric, you better not be calling to tell me you broke your automail _again_!"

Ed rolled his eyes, knowing full well the girl couldn't see him. " _No_ , for your information that's _not_ what I'm calling for!" he barked out, "My automail is just _fine_ , geez! I called because I need to talk to Granny. Is she around?"

He didn't have to see Winry to know she was confused, "Why do you need to talk to her?"

"It's important. Just put her on!"

"Okay, okay! Sheesh, it wouldn't kill you to be more polite, you know!"

"Yeah, yeah," Ed muttered. He didn't like arguing with Winry but Ed couldn't help it. The past twenty-four hours have majorly sucked, and he didn't get the best night's sleep. So he's a little crabby, sue him!

"Hello? Edward?" came Pinako's voice. Ed visibly relaxed, releasing a breath.

Here it goes…

Edward explained the situation to Pinako. About Shou Tucker and what he had planned to do to Nina. About Nina going into protective custody and the possibility she'll have to go to an orphanage if she doesn't have a foster family take her in. He then got to the part he'd been dying to get to: asking Pinako if she and Winry would be willing to take the child in.

After he finished, he waited with baited breath. Would Granny accept, or would she decline…?

Finally, he heard a puff of air over the phone, most likely from Pinako letting out some smoke via her pipe.

"That's quite the tale. So you say the girl has nowhere to go?"

"Not that I know of." Ed replied, "Apparently this social worker person is supposed to be finding close living kin first before we do any foster home stuff, but as far as we know she doesn't have any. What do you say? If that's ruled out, will you take her, Granny?"

Pinako hummed, possibly mulling it over. Ed was on edge. Why can't she give him a straight answer already?

"Well, I don't see why not. It'd be another mouth to feed, two counting that dog you said sticks with her. But what the hay, it'd be like having another grandchild in the house. And from what you've told me, she sounds like she'd be easier to put up with than you, Al, and Winry were when you were little brats."

"Hey, we weren't _always_ bad!" Ed said, but he had a smile on his face. She said yes! If all goes according to plan, then Nina would be able to go home to Resembool.

She'd be a Rockbell!

Huh, Nina Rockbell… That had a nice ring to it. Much better weight to the name than _Tucker_ that's for sure!

"Thank you so much, Granny! I swear, once all the details are ironed out, Al and me will be home with the newest members of the family!"

"Looking forward to it, Ed. You and Al be safe now. And take care of your automail. My granddaughter doesn't take too kindly to your idea of what 'maintenance' is. Or lack thereof."

"Yeah, yeah, sure whatever," Ed impatiently said, rolling his eyes again. Honestly, Winry and her weird automail fixation. Freak. "We'll be home soon!"

He then hung up and went back to Al to tell him the good news.

* * *

 **AN:** Ed's reasoning for suspecting Tucker and wanting to investigate is super convoluted and I'm well aware of it.

That's it for part one! The parts I included from the manga may not be necessary, but they're one of my favorite scenes from this arc so I _really_ wanted to put them in.

 **Fun Fact:** I didn't really know if Social Work was a thing in the early 1900's so I looked it up. "By 1900 working for social betterment had become an occupation and social work achieved professional status by 1930." So I guess it counts? (Well, it's an AU set in a fictional universe anyways, so YEAH it works!)

If you enjoyed what you've read so far, hit me up with a review. Chapter 2's rough drafted is already written. I just gotta edit it some more before I upload it.

Until then!


	2. Chapter 2

**AN:** Thanks to everyone for the review, favorites, alerts, etc. Here is chapter 2, dear readers.

 **Disclaimer:** First and foremost, I don't own FMA. Second of all, I have very little knowledge about social work. My only experience is with elderly people, not children. So if anyone reading this has any experience with the field and you feel like I got some information wrong, then please feel free to PM me. I always strive to be accurate in portraying real life events, so if what I've written is way off base then I want to know so I can properly edit it. I would very much appreciate it!

Just like in chapter 1, some of the dialogue here is taken from Viz's translation from volume 2 and a little bit from volume 3 (in some cases they have been tweaked to work better with the fanfic). Credit to them for helping me fill in the gaps.

* * *

Edward woke up the next morning with a start, gasping for air.

Nightmares.

At first it was about his mother, but then it melted into him walking into Shou Tucker's home. However, instead of finding him attempting to make Nina and Alexander into a chimera, what he found when Tucker moved out of the way was much more disturbing.

In the center of the circle was a dog-like creature. Its eyes were pupil-less, almost unseeing, and it had long, flowing brown locks. When it opened its mouth, the voice was a distorted version of a little girl's.

A distorted version of _Nina's voice_.

 _"Ed…ward…"_

That's what led him to awaken. He looked around the unfamiliar room, confused and disoriented.

That's right, they were still in the safe house.

"Big Brother?"

Ed looked down at his side. Nina was wiping the sleep from her eyes, giving him a worried look. Sometime yesterday evening, he and Al decided to tell Nina the truth—she wouldn't be able to return home to her father. The girl was devastated naturally, demanding answers as to why. As gently as Ed could, he explained that Tucker had done "a very bad thing," in the past, and Edward and Alphonse found out he planned on repeating the "very bad thing." Because of this, the military would be taking him away for a "very long time."

Maybe it wasn't the best decision to keep everything vague, but the brothers weren't sure if revealing how terrible her father was would be a good idea either. At Nina's age, how would she react? Ed wasn't a fan of keeping her in the dark, but having her become traumatized didn't appeal to him either. Al felt the same, so they agreed to keep quiet about Tucker's true intentions, just until they were sure Nina was old and mature enough to handle it.

Poor Nina cried for hours afterward the brothers broke the news of her never living with her father again. When Ed tried to tell her that she might be going home with the brothers, she still cried, throwing a tantrum and demanding she be with her daddy again.

It had broken Ed's heart.

He was surprised when Nina came into their room that night asking if she could stay with him and Al. It was an unfamiliar environment and it unsettled her to be away from her home and her father. Of course Ed relented and allowed the child to share his bed with him, reassuring her that he and Al would protect her from any scary boogeymen.

Her asking to stay with them gave him a little hope. She was upset with them about the newest developments, but there was a chance she could slowly forgive them and allow them to stay in her life.

After all, other than Alexander, the boys were all she's got.

Now, however, Ed flinched at the girl being at his side. He hoped he hadn't screamed or thrashed in his sleep. Al told him he did that sometimes when he had a nightmare.

Al sat across the room, his glowing red eyes giving Ed a wary look.

"Are you okay, Brother?"

Ed was about to nod and brush everything off when he winced at a sharp pain. On reflex he lifted his left leg up to his chest, hugging where the metal met his stump.

Phantom pains.

Somehow, they always hurt the worst after nightmares. Didn't help that the rain continued to fall.

"Is Big Brother Ed okay?" he heard Nina ask Alphonse, her voice anxious.

"M'fine," Ed grunted. No need to worry the girl any further. It wouldn't help anything.

"Brother's arm and leg ache sometimes, Nina," Al gently explained. "The change in the weather hurts him."

Nina frowned. She turned back to Edward and placed a small hand on his thigh where skin met metal.

"Mommy and Daddy used to kiss my booboos and make them better. Would that help you, Big Brother?"

Ed smiled. Had it been anyone else, he would have bit their head off. Kissing the pain away was _childish_ and never did any good anyway. There was no medical evidence to prove such nonsense was possible.

But Nina's innocence and determination to make him feel better melted his heart. He gave the girl a small smile.

"Yeah, it might."

So the girl gave quick pecks to Ed's "booboos" and then stood up to pat him on the head.

"There! All better!"

Ed laughed. The girl was being taken from the only home she'd ever known and yet here she was, smiling like a ray of freaking sunshine and kissing Ed's phantom pains like it was no big deal.

She was a strong one.

Ed didn't really believe there was a God out there, but in this quiet moment he thanked whoever it was that was listening that they helped him save this little girl.

* * *

A couple hours later, the trio (Alexander was left at the safe house) made their way to East City's military HQ to talk to Nina's appointed social worker.

Before stopping in the office that was to be the meeting place, Ed decided to take a detour and find out what the status of Shou Tucker was.

If he was incarcerated then Nina could visit him one last time before he was shipped to Central and she to Risembool. It was the least Ed could do, right? He was her father after all…

As they approached the door, they were met with Riza Hawkeye as she exited.

She spotted them, giving them a kind smile, "Oh, hello boys. And hello to you, Nina."

"Hello, Miss Hawkeye!" Nina politely greeted from on top of Al's shoulders. The little girl waved to Riza, who happily waved back.

"Are you here to see the social worker?" the lieutenant asked them.

"Yes," Ed said, "but I also wanted to ask the colonel about Tucker. Is he in detainment?"

Riza's eyes widened before an uncomfortable look fell on her face. She gave an uneasy glance in Nina's direction, prompting Ed to realize that there was something amiss. And whatever it was, it was questionable whether Nina should be present for it.

Ed was about to signal to Al to take Nina away when Riza stopped him, "She needs to hear this."

Al noticed the change in tension as well, and lifted Nina off his shoulders and onto the ground. Nina looked confused.

"What's the matter? Why do you look sad?" she asked Riza.

Riza got on eye level with the girl and held her hand, "I'm so sorry, Nina. Yesterday, we were going to pick up your father from your house to take him here, but we…" the lieutenant bit her lip, seeming to judge how she should say her next words. Ed swallowed; he had a bad feeling about this.

"Your father is dead, Nina. I'm so sorry."

Nina's eyes widened, her mouth parted in disbelief.

"Wh-what?"

"Are you serious, Lieutenant?!" Ed yelled, shocked by this revelation.

"How?!" Al asked, also in shock.

"You were going to find out anyway, so I might as well tell you," came Riza's straightforward reply. Part of Ed wondered if she also did it to lesson the burden of the boys having to tell Nina this news. "There are officers at the scene of the crime investigating. Lt. Colonel Hughes and Major Armstrong from Central arrived yesterday afternoon to take Mr. Tucker into their custody, when they happened upon him dead in a pool of his own blood. There is suspicion of murder. I don't know all the details myself, but I'm on my way to the Tucker residence right now."

"I'm coming with you!" Ed said.

"No." Riza said, her tone informing Ed that there was no room for argument.

"Why not?!"

Riza whirled around to give Ed a pointed look then shifted her gaze to the four-year-old girl who was standing still in shock.

"She needs you more than we do right now, Edward."

With that, she left.

Edward stared after her for a while before it registered what was happening. Tucker was dead. He was murdered. He then thought about Nina. Had Ed and Al not saved her, would she have been killed too?

The thought made Ed's stomach churn, but this was not the time to think about "what ifs."

Nina was here with them now, and she just found out her father died.

Rushing back to the little girl's side, Ed crouched down and looked to her. Al was also crouching down, though his large size was hindering him from getting a good look at Nina.

"Nina," Al tentatively said, "we're so sorry. We didn't know. Is there anything we can do for you?"

Nina didn't say anything at first, which worried Ed a lot. She already knew she'd be taken away from her daddy, but now she'll never see him again?

This was too much for a child to take.

Ed was scared she'd never recover from this. What if this was the last draw and he'll never see this sweet little girl smile again?

"Nina—"

Finally the dam broke and Nina cried. Not just cried, but hardcore _sobbed_. She sobbed for her father. Sobbed for her situation. Sobbed because, _"It's just not fair!"_

Ed was suddenly taken back in time—a time where he and his brother stumbled across their mother's lifeless body on the ground. A time where they watched as she was taken away from them forever.

Al was Nina's age when Trisha died. She looked a lot like he did too during that time with fat tears coming out of her big eyes as she wailed and shrieked in heartbreak.

Ed couldn't stand it anymore and held the girl in his arms. He tried his best to sooth her, telling her it would all be okay, that he and Al were there for her and they weren't going anywhere. They were here for her and she wasn't going to lose them.

He registered that Alphonse had scooped the two up into his big armored arms as well, his voice repeating Ed's words to the girl.

Ed wasn't crying and Al _couldn't_ cry, but in this moment they both wish they were.

This little girl who they grew to love like their own sister was hurting. And they'd do everything in their power to make her happy again.

They were a family now.

And family stuck together, helping each other through the bad times as well as the good.

* * *

It took a few minutes for Nina to stop crying. The four-year-old was emotionally drained enough that Edward thought it best to carry her, allowing her to rest her head against his shoulder.

The trio met up with the social worker assigned to Nina's case. Her name was Kim and she was a nice woman in her late twenties or early thirties, Ed wasn't sure. The brothers apologized for their tardiness, but Kim completely understood when they explained the hold up being due to Nina finding out about her father's passing. She was even prepared for their meeting, having read up on a file Mustang had written up for her, and already getting preparations done in order for the Rockbells to officially adopt Nina as she was unsuccessful for finding any next-of-kin to take her in.

Ed was extremely grateful for the lady.

"I hope I'm not imposing too much but would it be fine with you boys if we continued at your current residence? I think it would be best for Nina if she were properly put to bed. Then once she wakes up we can talk to her more about what should come next in her life."

Ed shrugged (being mindful of the girl still resting in his arms); he saw no harm in that.

As they walked out of HQ, Alphonse and Kim conversed about her job and how long the adoption process would take. Ed wasn't really paying much attention, but what he did absorb was that apparently Mustang informed the woman that the boys couldn't stay in East City for very long as they were "on an important mission," so they had to get Nina settle as soon as possible. If things ran smoothly, then she would be able to stay with her new foster family while someone (either Kim or anyone from an adoption agency) would make house visits from time to time in order to check to see if the child was being taken well care of. If this proves true, Nina should be an official Rockbell by the end of the year at the earliest.

Ed liked the idea of that.

As they continued to walk, passing by random citizens, Edward heard someone call his name.

"Mr. Edward Elric!"

Ed turned, spotting a man in military garments running up to him.

"Oh, I'm so glad you're alright!" he said to the boy as he caught up, "We've been looking for you!"

Ed raised an eyebrow. That was odd. Why would they be looking for him?

"What is it? Do you need me for something?"

"You're to return to headquarters immediately," replied the soldier. Now Ed was really confused. The colonel and his team knew very well he was to be with Kim today. Why would they decide he needed to go back?

As he handed Nina off to Kim, the soldier continued, "There's a killer on the loose in this area—"

"Edward Elric..."

Suddenly, a stranger appeared before them—a man with a dark complexion and a shock of white hair on the top of his head. He was wearing sunglasses, but he had a large, pale X-shaped scar on his face.

And even though he could barely make out the man's eyes behind the tinted lenses, Ed just knew there was a murderous look to them.

"The Fullmetal Alchemist!" the stranger snarled. Ed's blood ran cold. He didn't know who this guy was, but every instinct in his body was telling him to _run_.

This was amplified when the soldier pulled his gun, hoping to protect the little alchemist. Unfortunately, the scarred man got to him first, quickly placing the palm of his right hand onto the soldier's face.

With a crack of alchemic energy, the soldier fell to the ground dead, blood gushing out of every orifice of his head.

Every bystander present stared in horror.

The scarred man turned back to Edward.

 _'Who is this guy?'_ Edward asked himself. ' _This is bad! Bad! BAD_ _!_ _Everything from the core of my body says to run away but my legs won't move!'_

He watched as the scarred man started to move toward him, right arm extended.

 _'Oh no…'_ Edward thought, _'I'm gonna die!'_

Just then the bell tower above them rang, indicating the hour. It was loud enough to distract the mysterious man and shake Ed out of his stupor.

"Miss Kim, take Nina to the safe house, _now_! She'll be safe there. Al, _run_!"

And with that the Elric Brothers bolted away from the newest threat. Ed didn't look back, but he hoped the social worker listened to him and got Nina out of harm's way. It looked like only the older brother was the target, therefore the last thing he needed was to put the little girl in any more danger.

He wished Al would have gone with them, but his little brother loyally stayed by his side. That idiot…

But on the other hand it was a good thing. He and Al were a good team.

He just hoped they were good enough to handle this dangerous man…

* * *

Edward heaved another sigh, exhausted by everything that's happened in the past few days.

First it was Tucker.

Then it was the stress of the plans to get Nina to Resembool as well as the lingering worry that she'd resent the brothers for her current situation.

Then it was that scar-faced bastard.

And now this…

His automail arm was completely destroyed (no thanks to that Ishvalan prick who thought murdering State Alchemists was justifiable for his revenge), and almost half of Al was destroyed too (again, fuck that bastard!).

Now the brothers (Edward mostly) were to be heavily guarded because that freak was still on the loose!

After the fight with Scar (the man's codename as no one was sure of his true identity), Edward and Al first and foremost wanted to go to their safe house to see if Kim made it there safely with Nina.

It was a pain in the ass to have the colonel and the rest of his military party escorting them, but Al convinced Ed it was worth it in case Scar made another appearance to finish what he started.

When they arrived, Alexander met them, promptly jumping on Ed in his excitement to see him.

Then the door swung open and Nina ran out, crying out for her older brothers. Kim ran out after her, calling for the little girl to be careful.

Ed hated that Nina had to see him and Al like this—all busted up and wore out—but having her throw her small arms around his neck in relief made him glad he was alive.

It would have majorly sucked if Ed had allowed Scar to kill him off. Nina already suffered too much, he'd never forgive himself if he went and died on her too.

"Is Big Brother Al okay?" she asked, her voice laced with so much worry.

Alphonse had to be carried by Major Armstrong as he only had one leg to stand on. Seeing Nina close to tears, Al raised his remaining arm in a wave. "Don't cry, Nina. I'm okay. Just a little banged up is all."

Ed snorted. Yeah, banged up is one way of putting it…

Roy had wanted to continue talking in his office, but given the circumstances, he opted to discuss matters at the safe house. There, Ed cleaned himself up a bit while 2nd Lieutenants Havoc and Breda found some sheets to wrap around the openings of Al's armor. Nina sat by Al's side, holding onto his only armored hand like he would disappear at any time. When Ed came back from the bathroom, he sat on Nina's other side. The four-year-old tried to hold onto Ed's hand too, but was shocked to find there was _nothing_ to hold onto.

"You remember how my right arm is metal?" at her nod, Ed continued, "Well, it got broken and fell off. I only have one arm left, see?" he waved his left hand.

Nina frowned, looking between the brothers, "Can Big Brother Ed and Big Brother Al get better?"

Ed patted the girl on the head, "Of course we will, Squirt. Do you remember us talking about Winry, the nice girl who we said you'd live with from now on? Well, she's my mechanic. The best one there is! She'll build me a new right arm in no time!"

If she didn't kill him first…

"Yeah," Al chimed in, "and once Brother has his arm back, then he'll patch me up! He uses alchemy to fix my armor. Don't worry, we'll be good as new before you know it."

Nina gave them a smile and nodded. Alexander came over to his master, giving her licks to her face causing the girl to giggle.

Once that was settled, Colonel Mustang got down to business. He explained some things about the Ishvalan War and how Scar was most likely acting against State Alchemists as a means of justice, which Ed had to roll his eyes at. Yeah, killing innocents for your own selfish means and saying it was an act of God. Real justice right there…

Then it came to the question of what the Elrics would do next. Ed shrugged.

"Obviously I need to get my arm fixed. I can't fix Al without it," he then explained how it was only him who could fix up Al's body without it tampering with his blood seal. "So I gotta see my mechanic in Resembool. We also gotta take Nina with us since she'll be living there from now on." He then turned to the social worker, "Right?"

Kim, who had been politely listening to the military personnel speak, nodded, "It's a bit unconventional, and we hardly got anything done thanks to this—umm—road block…" she averted her eyes from the beat down Elrics, "But I would be glad to accompany you to Resembool and finish out any paperwork there. It would be better if I got to know and spoke with Nina's new caretakers anyway."

Edward gave the woman a grateful smile, nodding his head as he proclaimed, "Alright, it's settled! First thing tomorrow morning, we hop on a train to Resembool!"

"Not so fast, Fullmetal."

Shit, what now?

Turns out, since there's a serial killer on the loose and Edward is currently incapacitated, Mustang advised he'd need a bodyguard.

Edward disagreed, but the fact that he currently had one arm while his brother looked more like scrap metal than a suit of armor; and they were traveling with a defenseless little girl, her dog, and a woman with no fighting abilities then—well—he had absolutely no room to argue.

But did it have to be _the Major_ of all people who was the only one free and capable of the job?

Don't get Ed wrong, he respected Major Armstrong and thought he was a good guy.

He's just…well…

"OH EDWARD ELRIC! I AM SO DEEPLY MOVED BY YOU! YOUR LOVE FOR YOUR BROTHER WAS SO STRONG YOU GAVE UP YOUR ARM FOR HIS SOUL! AND YOUR LOVE FOR THIS LITTLE GIRL—WHO YOU HAVE ONLY KNOWN FOR MERELY A FEW DAYS—IS SO STRONG YOU ARE WILLING TO TAKE HER TO A NEW, LOVING HOME. YOU HAVE MY UTMOST RESPECT!"

"Major… Can't breathe…"

Too much…

* * *

The next day was even more exhausting to Ed.

Not only did he have to be babysat by Major Armstrong, but Ed also had to make sure to keep up with Nina and Kim—who had the patience of a saint as she was able to keep conversation with the buff alchemist while keeping an eye on a curious four-year-old and her grumpy (Lt. Colonel Hughes's words, not Ed's) "older brother."

And as for Al…

 _"Baggage fees are a lot cheaper than travel fees!" said the Major, the Armstrong Family trademark sparkle in his eye._

 _"MY LITTLE BROTHER IS NOT LUGGAGE!" the older of the Elrics screamed._

Poor Al had to be put inside a crate due to his limited mobility and placed into where the train stores precious cargo.

Well, at least Alexander was keeping him company. They had to buy a large crate to put the dog in. He wasn't too happy about it, but thankfully Al was there to talk to him and calm his whines.

There were other delays of course, namely when Major Armstrong spotted an old colleague of his named Dr. Marcoh.

That was an entirely different story altogether…

By the time they made it back on the scheduled train to Resembool, Ed had many things on his mind:

First, he needed his arm fixed.

Second—once he had his new arm—he had to fix Al's armor.

Third, make sure Nina was comfortable and happy at the Rockbells.

And finally, he and Alphonse would have to book it to Central as soon as possible. Dr. Marcoh was involved in creating the Philosopher's Stone, and his research notes were somewhere in the First Branch Library.

It would be tough to leave Nina so soon, but it has to be done. If they were going to bring a brighter future for her and other people like her, then they needed to be completely whole again.

* * *

Resembool hadn't changed much.

And the old woman and her granddaughter who lived in the yellow house on the hill hadn't changed much either.

Well, Winry's throwing arm might have gotten a little better…

" _'Just fine'_ huh?! When you said your automail was 'just fine,' Edward, I actually thought it was in _one piece_!"

"It was! Until this freak decided to get in a fight with me and break it!"

"Another fight?! Seriously, Edward, you have to be more careful—"

"I'm always careful!"

"Could've fooled me!"

"Ouch! Watch it with that wrench, you crazy Gearhead!"

"Reckless Alchemy Freak!"

"Is this normal?" Kim asked the Fullmetal Alchemist's younger brother, warily watching the two teenagers argue.

"Yep," Al said, not the least perturbed by his brother and childhood friend's antics. "It's how they show they care about each other."

Kim just nodded while Nina laughed at her surrogate older brother and the girl who would soon be her adopted older sister. What an eccentric bunch…

"So is this the famous Nina I've heard so much about?"

Everyone (sans Ed and Winry who were still bickering in the background) turned toward Pinako, who eyed the little girl with interest.

Nina became shy, hiding herself behind Alphonse's crate. She gave the older woman a nod.

Pinako gave the child a kind smile, "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you. Edward's told me nothing but good things about you. You must be pretty special then. Getting a compliment out of that bullheaded pipsqueak is like pulling teeth."

"WHO YOU CALLING A PIPSQUEAK YOU OLD HAG?!" Ed bellowed, "I'm actually _taller_ than you, you know!"

Pinako huffed, "True, but that's not saying much, now is it?"

"What'd you say?!"

As Ed turned his temper to the older woman, Winry took this time to get a good look at Nina. She could tell the little girl was nervous. She would be too if their roles were reversed. Crouching down to her level, Winry gave Nina a comforting smile.

"Hello, Nina. My name's Winry. I hope you like it here in Resembool. It's a small town and there's not a lot to do, but me and Granny will try to make it as pleasant for you as possible."

Nina stared at the older girl. She was really pretty with her long blonde hair and her big blue eyes. And she was really nice, even if she did hit her big brother with tools and called him names. But in a way, it was funny. Getting a rise out of Big Brother Edward was always funny to Nina.

She thought she might like Winry.

Nina gave a big grin, "Hi, Winry! It's nice to meet you! Big Brother Ed said that you'd be my new big sister. Is it true?"

Winry stared at the little girl, and Nina was afraid she said something wrong before a huge squeal erupted from the blonde, causing everyone to stare at her in mild panic.

"YOU'RE SO ADORABLE!" Winry exclaimed, gathering Nina in her arms for a big hug. "Of course we can be sisters! I'll teach you everything I know. Do you like automail? What am I saying, you probably don't really know what it is. That's okay though, we can find other interests for you. Oh, you have a dog too don't you? I love dogs! Den is the name of my dog, you saw her when you walked up. I bet she and Alexander will make the best of friends."

Edward watched as Winry rambled to the little girl. He was afraid she was overwhelming Nina, but changed his mind when he saw the four year old beaming at his childhood friend and nodding along with her.

He smiled; he knew they'd get along great.

"Want to see your new room? There isn't a lot in it though, I'm afraid. I didn't have a lot of time to prepare, but your bed is made and I found some furniture in town I bet you'd like. I even found this toy chest at the market you can put all your toys in."

Nina bounced up and down, clearly excited, "Yeah! Yeah! I wanna see my new room!"

It took a while before automail-related business could happen. If circumstances were different Ed would be griping and complaining about how much time he was wasting. And while he _was_ anxious to get to Central, he allowed himself some patience. The First Branch in Central wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. They had time.

Nina was more important right now.

As Nina went outside to play with the dogs, Ed sat down with Pinako and Winry to discuss the damage to his arm. With the way his arm was completely destroyed, Winry would have to completely rebuild it. There was also the fact that Ed actually grew a couple of centimeters (much to his delight), so the leg would have to be readjusted as well.

They told him he'd be ready to get to Central in three days time. Ed was eternally thankful he had the best of the best working on his limbs.

Three days went by quicker than expected. In that time, Nina had adjusted well, and Kim was able to get her end of the work done. She had left on the second day, promising monthly visits and leaving with the hope that at the end of the year, the adoption process would be complete.

Major Armstrong also made himself useful by chopping firewood for the Rockbells. He was given a spare room and a free meal. It was the least he could do.

Alexander and Den became good friends, although Ed could tell the big white dog was more playful than the older and serious Den. Den took a very good liking to Nina and the little girl was happy to have another doggy in her life.

On the third day, Winry's work was complete and Edward regained his lost limbs. After thanking the Rockbell women and promising they'd get their payment, Edward took to work on fixing Al's armor. The rest of the day was spent sparring (much to Winry's chagrin), and playing with Nina.

That night, Ed and Al heard a knock on their bedroom door. Opening it revealed Nina, Alexander faithfully at her side.

"Hey, Squirt, what are you still doing up?" Ed asked. Even though the clock said nine o'clock, the four-year-old's bedtime usually rang about eight. She would insist she wasn't tired, but her falling asleep where she stood at the late hour proved otherwise.

Tonight seemed to be different though, as Nina was wide awake and looking troubled.

"Are Big Brother Ed and Big Brother Al really leaving tomorrow?" she asked with a pout.

Ed and Al shared a look. They had informed the girl that first day that they'd stay with her for a couple of days, but then they had to leave once Ed's arm and leg were fixed because they still had work to do. She didn't look happy about it at first, but the excitement of her new home distracted her enough to keep her mind off it. Now, with the day of their departure drawing near, it was dawning on the little girl that her big brothers were leaving her.

"Nina, don't be sad." Al comforted the girl, "We may be leaving, but it won't be forever. Besides, you have Alexander and Den and Granny and Winry to be with you, so you won't be alone."

Nina nodded but she still looked distraught. Ed figured it was his turn to do some comforting.

"Hey, listen, Nina. It may seem like a long time, but like Al said, we won't be gone forever. We visit every now and then—"

"Mostly when Brother needs Winry to fix his automail," Al interrupted with a laugh. Ed glared at his younger brother before turning back to Nina to continue comforting her.

"And to be honest, we're really bad at keeping in touch—like really, really bad—"

"Just ask Winry," Al chimed in again.

" _But_ ," Ed continued, miming for Al to zip it, "for you, we'll try to do better. We'll call more often."

"And we can write you letters too! Winry was saying she wanted to help you read so when you go to school next year, you'll be ahead of the kids. That'll be our way of helping you!" Al said excitedly.

"Yeah, and in no time, we'll come back to you guys. For good though."

Nina seemed to be perking up. She looked hopeful as she asked, "Really?"

"Yep!" Ed and Al said at the same time.

"And when that time happens," Ed told her, "you'll be _really_ surprised to see Al and me!"

Nina cocked her head to the side. She wasn't really sure what Edward was saying. Why would she be surprised? Would they bring presents?

She liked presents. Big Sister Winry already gave her some toys that she said she didn't use anymore. She hoped that was what the brothers were talking about.

If they had to leave to bring her a present, then she guessed it was okay for them to go.

Nina gave the brothers a big smile, "Okay! I'll miss my Big Brothers, but I hope you have a safe trip!"

Ed grinned, ruffling the little girl's head.

"Don't worry. We'll be careful."

Ed chose to ignore Al's snort. Okay so _that_ wasn't exactly something he could guarantee, but hey, they've made it this far right?

"Umm," Nina started, shifting from side in side again, nervous, "can I sleep in your room tonight?"

Al nodded his head, and Ed grinned, "Sure, why not?"

* * *

As morning broke on the sleepy town of Resembool, the Fullmetal Alchemist and his companions were preparing to once again leave on their journey.

"Thanks for everything, Granny." He said to his surrogate grandmother.

Pinako nodded at him. Al glanced at the house, "Where's Winry?"

"She did so many all-nighters that she's still asleep," Pinako replied. "Is the little one still asleep too?"

"Yeah," Al nodded, "We said our goodbyes to her last night and we didn't feel like waking her up."

Pinako hummed at the explanation before redirecting it back to her granddaughter, "Should I wake Winry up?"

"Don't bother." Ed said, "If you woke her up she'd just go on and on about automail maintenance."

"Okay then." Pinako shrugged, "Well, take care of yourselves. Don't be strangers. Come back sometime when you feel like some good home cooking."

"Okay, we'll be back." Al said but his words were rebuffed by his older brother's more brash reply.

"Like we'd come all the way to the boondocks just for a meal."

If anything, they'd come back to check up on Nina.

Okay, and maybe for automail maintenance, too. Ed could admit to himself that he can be a little too reckless sometimes…

Major Armstrong chuckled, prompting Ed to ask what was so funny.

"A family that welcomes you back…" Armstrong mused, "Having a place to come home to is truly a wonderful feeling."

Ed huffed, "We just drift from place to place like a couple of tumbleweeds." Really, after the Elrics burned their house, nothing's really felt like _home_ before. True, they have the Rockbells and now Nina, but as stable as they are, Ed couldn't say the same for himself.

As long as he and Al were still the way they were, stability was just a far off luxury to dream about.

"Ed! Al!"

The aforementioned boys whirled around at the familiar voice. Up on the balcony of the Rockbell home was Winry, looking like she literally rolled out of bed. In her arms was Nina, looking just as sleepy as the blonde holding her. The two girls waved at the boys.

"See you later."

"Bye-bye Big Brother Ed. Bye-bye Big Brother Al."

Al enthusiastically waved back, shouting his own goodbyes. Ed scratched the back of his head, turned his back toward them and lifted his right hand in a wave, "Later!"

True, he and Al may be drifters, but they did having something to come back to in this old country town.

It's broken and slightly unconventional, but it's the closest thing to a family the Elrics have.

And Edward didn't mind always coming back to it.

* * *

 **AN:** Finally, this monster is finished! But there's still one more chapter left of this main story, so stay tuned for it. It's a bit of an epilogue, taking place after the end of the manga.

Just a fun fact, Kim the social worker wasn't supposed to be this big in the story (hell, she wasn't even supposed to have a NAME), but she just kinda wrote herself in. I'm not good with OC's so her part in the story isn't all that elaborate. She's not meant to be a staple, just there to get the plot going.

There was also so much more I wanted to add in the Resembool section of this story, but I held off because at this point, the story had gone off on many tangents. I couldn't keep on like that. I have plans to make an anthology series of miscellaneous moments of Nina experiencing life in FMA, so I hope to get those ideas incorporated in that.

Also, there's something that isn't addressed in the fic, but I could not for the life of me figure out how to squeeze it in: Nina noticing Al is hollow. As I was writing this I thought back to the Blind Alchemist side story and how that little girl didn't bat an eye to Al being hollow—so my mind automatically thought Nina wouldn't either. It would just be something she'd accept about him. For now, this is the reason the dilemma isn't brought up. If I do write the aforementioned anthology series, I'll write a fic going into more detail about this (along with Nina discovering a picture of Al's body, but again, this is if I actually sit down and write the series).

Anyways, thank you for reading! Review if you liked it!


	3. Epilogue

**AN:** I'M SO SORRY, THIS WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE SO DANG LATE!

So this is what happened: I had the rough draft of this chapter written after I had posted chapter 2. But the thing is, I had left Al out of the chapter. I had him be somewhere else. Only after realizing I really _wanted_ Al in this fanfic I decided to do a small rewrite. Wasn't supposed to be anything major.

But then I got lazy and soon I lost my motivation to write and well what do you know it's 2019!

Uhhh, happy new year? Hehehe whoops…

Anyways, I'm back now and finally uploading the epilogue of my Nina Lives AU. Hope you all enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own FMA

* * *

It's been seven years since that fateful day Edward and Alphonse Elric saved Nina Tucker from a fate worse than death and took her to Resembool to be cared for by the Rockbells.

A lot had happened in those seven years. After officially being adopted by Pinako and going from Nina Tucker to Nina Rockbell, the girl soon became a staple in the little yellow house. She would do chores with Pinako, such as learning to garden and clean the house, and on some days Winry would take her down to their shop and teach her the basics about automail.

Nina was too young to understand the finer details of the trade—and the Rockbell women had a feeling the little girl wasn't even interested in taking it up either—but she was always willing to help if they needed it. She would learn the names of tools and hand them to one of the ladies should they ask, and if a patient was in pain she was trusted to help them feel better.

Sometime during all this, Nina found a calling in helping people. Not as an engineer though, but in something that the Elrics knew to be in her blood.

Alchemy.

It started some time after the brothers returned from their journey. They would spend countless hours talking to the girl about what it was they were doing since they left her in her new family's care. Some details were excluded, but the girl found out why Big Brother Al didn't wear his armor and Big Brother Ed's right arm wasn't made of automail anymore.

She had been sad to learn Big Brother Ed couldn't perform alchemy anymore, but upon seeing how happy the young man was, Nina's sadness evaporated. If Edward was happy, then she was happy too!

The next two years had been one of the best of Nina's life. Having the brothers in the house was never dull. It was amusing watching Ed try and perform every day things without his alchemy, and it was interesting to watch Al perform daily exercises to get his body back in shape. She had decided to learn how to cook because Winry had told her that Al needed the nutrients to be healthier. She wanted to give back to one of her older brothers, so it was the least she could do. "Equivalent Exchange," they always say. She felt immensely proud when Alphonse ate up all the simple recipes she made with her adopted older sister and praised her for it.

When she overheard the brothers talking about different forms of alchemy, Nina's interest suddenly piqued.

"What's alkehestry?" she had inquired them one night.

"It's healing alchemy," Al replied. "You know how we can make things out of other things?" at the five-year-old's nod, Al continued, "Well, people who use alkehestry can take a booboo and make it better!"

It was the simplest explanation for a child. Nina's eyes lit up.

"Wow! Can I learn that?"

Ed and Al blinked.

"You want to learn alchemy?" Ed asked, looking a little uncomfortable. Nina wasn't quite sure why, though.

Nina pondered over the question before saying, "Well, not really the stuff you and daddy did," (she wondered why the Elric Brothers flinch when she mentioned her late father….), "but I want to heal. I want to learn medicine, like Granny Pinako and Big Sis Winry!"

The brothers looked at her, looked at each other, then back to her before they startled her with their shouts of joy.

"That's great, Nina!" Al exclaimed.

"Yeah, and with Granny and Winry as your teachers, there's no doubt in my mind you'll be the greatest doctor ever!" Ed encouraged.

Nina beamed at the praise.

"Brother, if she were to learn Alkehestry, she could really make a difference in the medical field!" Al said, now shifting the conversation to just him and his older brother.

"I know! Man, if only that Bean Girl wasn't all the way in Xing…" Ed trailed off. He then shook his head, "Oh well, one thing at a time. I'm gonna tell Granny and Winry the good news."

Ed rushed out of the room, Al and Nina hearing his loud voice proclaim to the rest of the house's residents of Nina's decision for her career. Al chuckled at his brother's antics, but then his face became pensive. Nina gave him a confused look.

"What's the matter, Big Brother Al?" she asked him.

Al remembered where he was and gave the little girl a reassuring smile, "It's okay, Nina, I was just thinking. My brother and I, we don't know much about Alkehestry—much less how to perform it. If you were going to learn, we'd have to find you a teacher…"

It seemed to be the biggest roadblock. Alkehestry was taught in the East. Nina was only five and just got settled in Resembool. It wouldn't be ideal to pack her up and take her across the desert just to find a teacher. Al didn't like that idea, and he _knew_ Edward would be against it. After the Promise Day, his older brother was ecstatic to finally go back home to see the Rockbells and Nina. He wouldn't want her to go away for a long time. And going with her would be out of the question as Al's body was still recovering from his time in the Gate, and Ed's automail wouldn't be able to handle the harsh conditions of the desert heat…

He was taken out of his musings when he felt a pat on his head. He looked to find his surrogate little sister on the bed with him, ruffling his gold locks.

"Don't worry about it. It'll all work out!" she joyfully said, a large grin on her face. Al returned it with a grin of his own.

"You're right. I shouldn't think so hard about it. You're still young after all. We've got time."

* * *

After many discussions, the Elric Brothers came to a decision.

There was so much about the world and alchemy they didn't know. Alchemy was supposed to be for the people, but not many alchemists in the world follow that principle. So they decided to go on another quest: this time to gain knowledge in hopes that instead of the simple zero sum of "Equivalent Exchange," they could give back that one extra.

It was also an opportunity for Alphonse to learn Alkehestry. Not just for his own benefit, but for Nina's. She was dead set on learning medicine, and while Winry's parents' old medical books were a good start, she _really_ wanted to help people by using healing alchemy as well.

That was another decision the boys made: they'd teach Nina alchemy. They were hesitant at first—the sole reason she was under their care in the first place was because of a harmful use of alchemy—but they warmed up to the idea upon making their plans.

Once Ed's journey to the West was finished, he would become Nina's teacher; mentoring her in basic alchemy as a foundation before Alphonse stepped in to teach her what he learned about Alkehestry. Hand-to-hand combat was also a must. Winry raised an eyebrow at that one.

"Are you expecting her to be like you two and get in fights?"

"It teaches discipline." Edward had retorted, "Besides, it'll be good just in case some chumps try and pull a fast one on her."

It was a rough start. While Nina was a very bright girl, Edward found just how much more advanced he and Al were at her age. She could read, but bigger words were harder to pronounce and most of the books and notes Edward had grown up reading were more for a college level than elementary school level. He wouldn't allow that to discourage Nina though, so he took all the books he was planning to use for her teachings and rewrote them for her to better understand.

Winry—now his wife at this point—had to laugh at the young man, "At this rate, you could get a job at the schoolhouse by teaching the kids _Alchemy for Beginners_." Edward just rolled his eyes at her.

A few years came and went and everyone's efforts were paying off.

Nina—now eleven years old—was becoming quite the prodigy ( _"Expect nothing less from a Rockbell!"_ her Big Brother Ed would boast). She was learning all she could about medicine; and after witnessing countless automail port surgeries and the recovery process for the patients, she decided that she would focus on the surgical field rather than a family practice.

She was still studying Alkehestry, and was making much progress. Alphonse was a good teacher and would always help her if she was struggling. It also helped that his girlfriend, May, was a master at the art therefore could help teach Nina in greater detail. Sadly, May was mostly in Xing than Amestris, so she couldn't stay very often to help with Nina's studies. However, the railroads to Xing were becoming more accessible for tourists, so the brothers were always talking in hopes of visiting the exotic country more often.

Currently, Nina was on the sofa of her home reading the latest book on Alkehestry that Al had given to her. He was upstairs writing a letter to May (he would have called her, but Edward forbade his brother to raise their phone bill higher than it should be). Pinako had gone to town to do some maintenance on one of her clients as well as catch up with some old friends. She had told her family not to wait up on her, which led Nina to believe that her adoptive grandmother's "catching up" had to do with sitting around the fire and sharing a few drinks. Sometimes she forgot the old woman was well in her eighties and often complained of arthritis…

Next to her on the couch was Edward Elric, twenty-two years old and rocking his infant daughter in his arms. Other than teaching Nina alchemy, the man had taken to a quiet life taking care of his growing family and doing housework while his hardworking wife ran her automail business. Nina chuckled every time she thought about how her oldest brother had changed. He still had a temper on him and his recklessness didn't let up much, but he had a more mature air about him that sometimes made him seem older than he actually was.

On the floor in front of them was Thomas, Edward and Winry's son. When the couple announced their first pregnancy, Nina was ecstatic. She grabbed all the books she could about pregnancy and babies because she found the miracle of life so fascinating (this would lead to Ed momentarily freaking out and awkwardly asking Winry if Nina had _"the talk"_ yet, to which his wife rolled her eyes and replied, _"Yes, Ed, we had the talk. God, you're such a baby sometimes!"_ ). She was also determined to take care of her adoptive older sister as much as possible.

When Thomas was finally born, Nina instantly adored him, nobly declaring that she'd protect him with her life and be the best aunt ever! Thomas became attached to Nina as well, lovingly referring to her as his "Auntie Nina."

"Daddy! Auntie Nina! Look what I made!" the toddler cried happily, showing his family the block tower he made. Once he got the reaction he sought for, he knocked the blocks back down, ready to start again.

Ed chuckled at his son's antics before going back to coo at his daughter. Nina smiled at the sight. Edward really was a good father.

Father…

Nina's thoughts began to stray. Seven years. It had been seven years since her father died and the Elric Brothers took her to Resembool to be adopted by the Rockbells. The experience has been nothing but great for the girl, but she can't help but think back to her deceased parent.

She was only four, so details were always fuzzy. And whenever she asked her adoptive family about her father, they always got weird looks on their face. Like they didn't like talking about him.

Pinako and Winry would give strained smiles and generic answers ( _"Oh, we didn't know him but we heard he was a smart man and an alchemist."_ ),but if she were to ask Ed and Al about her father they tended to change the topic immediately.

Edward would always get an angry look on his face too. She remembered when she was five she had declared it was her father's birthday (a date she no longer remembered, sadly) and asked Granny Pinako if they could bake a cake in his honor. The sudden scrape of a chair drew her attention and she saw Ed storm out of the room. She asked Al and Winry if she had done something wrong, to which they assured she was fine and that Ed had…personal issues going on. Nina wasn't sure what they meant, but she dropped the topic. She didn't want Big Brother Edward to be angry with her.

Despite her fuzzy memory she did distinctly remember some things about her father. His face, and the stubble he would have on his chin during early mornings. How he laughed when she ran around the yard playing with Alexander. His soft voice speaking to her as he ruffled her newly braided hair. But out of all these random snippets, there was one thing about her father she remembered with absolute clarity:

The last time she saw him.

She remembered Edward and Alphonse playing with her that day, waving goodbye to her and promising to play with her again the next day. She remembered her daddy being sad because the military was going to give him some kind of exam (honestly, to this day Nina still didn't understand the military and State Alchemists despite the many stories Edward told her) before hugging her and tucking her into bed that night.

She then remembered being shaken awake, her drowsy mind seeing her daddy stare at her in the moonlight.

"Daddy?" she had asked, rubbing the sleep from her tired eyes, "What's the matter?"

"Nina," her father said, "I'm sorry to wake you up, but daddy is having some trouble right now with his experiments. Would you like to help me?"

The offer perked Nina right up. She always wanted to spend time with her father. He was always too busy and always said she couldn't help because she was "too young," so to have him ask her to help him made her very happy.

She nodded eagerly, "Uh-huh! Uh-huh! I'd love to help you!"

Her father smiled, "Good girl. Bring Alexander along. He'll be of much help to me, too."

"Okay!" Nina cheered and called for her dog to follow her into her father's study.

This was where the memory gets fuzzier due to Nina being awake past her bedtime. She recalled her father having her move some books around in his study, but afterwards he just had her and Alexander sit in the middle of the floor while he drew with chalk. Nina thought she fell asleep because the next thing she knew, she was in Alphonse's metal arms and he was shushing her and telling her to go back to sleep. She had wondered where Edward was but sleep overcame her and the next time she woke up, she was in a hotel room with her older brothers and Alexander, her father nowhere in sight. It wouldn't be until the next day that she'd find out he had suddenly died.

"Yo, Squirt, you awake?"

Nina was startled out of her reminiscing to see Edward giving her a curious look. The baby was no longer in his arms but in her bassinet next to the couch. Thomas was also staring at her, his blocks forgotten.

"Sorry, Big Bro. I was spacing out," she chuckled.

Ed chuckled too, "That's fine. I kept trying to talk to you, but you wouldn't answer. I'm about to cook up some supper, you in the mood for anything?"

Nina shook her head, "Anything's fine with me. What do you want, Thomas?"

Thomas's eyes lit up, "S'ghetti!"

Nina laughed at the three year old's attempt to say "spaghetti," while Ed rolled his eyes, "Oh no, little man, we've had spaghetti three nights in a row now. Let's try to feed you something new."

Thomas stuck his tongue out at his father, who childishly stuck his out back. Nina watched the pair and couldn't help but wonder if she and her father were that playful back then…

"Hey, don't space out on us again, Nina," Ed chastised her. "What are you thinking about anyway?"

Nina bit her lip. In her experience, mentioning her father around Big Brother Edward wasn't a good idea. But considering she wasn't a child anymore (no matter what anyone else would tell her), she decided that she had a right to know about the man who raised her for the first four years of her life.

"I was… Well, I was thinking about my dad."

Just as she thought, Edward stiffened, a sour look coming to his face. Before he could huff and spout some excuse for them to _not_ talk about the late Shou Tucker, Nina said, "Seeing you with Thomas and Iris makes me think about him. I don't remember much about him, but I want to. You knew him, what was he like?"

Her words gave Ed pause, and she could see the conflicting emotions on his face. Nina didn't understand. Why did Big Brother Ed hate her father so much? Was he not as good a person as her childish mind perceived him? Another memory popped into her head, a memory of Edward telling her that she wouldn't be able to live with her father anymore because he did a "bad thing," but she still didn't understand. _What was the bad thing?_

Edward sighed and motioned for Thomas, "Go down to the workshop and help your mother out."

Thomas tilted his head in confusion, "Huh? Why?"

Edward replied, "Chances are your stubborn mom will forget that it's dinnertime and go on about how she can't eat because of her orders. It'll be good for you to help her out so she can get done in time to eat. So go on, get!"

Thomas nodded, always eager to help his mother out with building her automail. He may have gotten Ed's looks, but his interest in all things machinery were a Rockbell trait.

Once he was out of the room, Ed made sure baby Iris was still asleep before he called up the stairs to his brother, "Yo, Al! You might wanna come down here!"

Nina heard some shuffling and Alphonse—much more physically strong than he was six years ago—came down the stairs.

"What's up, Brother? Is dinner ready?"

Ed gave his brother a tired smile, a seriousness in his eyes that neither Al nor Nina missed, "It's time."

Al blinked. Nina half expected him to ask if Edward was talking about dinner, but when Ed tilted his head in her direction, realization dawned on Al.

"Oh. I see."

Nina raised an eyebrow at the serious atmosphere. Alphonse noticed her expression and gave her a small smile while ruffling her hair playfully. As he sat down on one of the living room chairs, he indicated for his brother to proceed. Edward turned toward his surrogate little sister.

"I was hoping to avoid this conversation as long as I could. Me and Al always talked about how this day would come, but I honestly thought you'd be older when it happened."

Nina pouted, "I am older. I'm not a kid anymore!"

The brothers chuckled. "No, I guess not," Ed said. "I was your age when I decided to join the military, and I didn't consider myself a kid back then either. I guess you take more after me than I thought."

Nina smiled at the tender moment, but then turned the conversation back on track, "What was my father like? Why do you two never want to talk about him?"

Alphonse shifted uncomfortably in his seat as he watched his brother. Edward's face turned stoic, a shadow going over his eyes as if he was going back in time. Nina had seen that look before, but nowadays it was a rare sight.

"Nina, what do you remember of the last time you saw your father?" Al carefully asked, taking over for his brother.

Nina raised an eyebrow at the question but answered him, "You and Big Bro Ed had left for the evening. Daddy was sad about some test he was going to have—"

"The State Alchemist assessment." Ed supplied.

"Right, his assessment. Anyways, I went to bed, but he woke me up sometime later. He asked me to help him with his work—some kind of experiment. He wanted me to have Alexander help too." Nina paused, a realization coming to her, "Now that I think about it, that sounds strange. My father was a State Alchemist. Why would he want the help of a four-year-old and a dog? Maybe I dreamed that?"

Ed shook his head solemnly, remembering what Al told him when Nina had briefly roused while Ed was beating up Shou Tucker, "No, Nina. That wasn't a dream. He really got you out of bed to ask for your and Alexander's help."

Nina blinked, "That's odd. Well, either way, I don't remember doing much. Just helping him move some stuff around in the room and sitting in the middle of the floor with Alexander. I remember daddy drawing with chalk—"

It suddenly hit Nina what the chalk was for. She's an alchemist now; she should have caught on sooner! Her father was using chalk to draw a transmutation circle.

But… Wait, wasn't he drawing _around_ the place she and Alexander were sleeping?

Ed and Al stayed silent as they watched Nina connect the dots. Edward had been dreading this for seven years. He, Al, and the Rockbells avoided it as much as they could because they all agreed she was too young to learn the harsh truth. She should have some respect for her late father, right? Well, Ed would disagree, but all the same Nina didn't need the heartache of learning who her father really was. It was just too much for a little girl.

She's older now, but Ed can't help but still wonder if this was the right time. He met his little brother's eyes, silently asking him this. Al, obviously understanding the turmoil his older brother was feeling, softened his eyes and gave a slight nod of his head. This was the right thing to do. Nina should not be kept in the dark about this any longer.

 _'Well, now or never, I guess…'_

"Big Brother Ed," he heard Nina whisper shakily, "I remember you and Big Brother Al being there that night. What were you two doing? What was my daddy doing?"

Ed thought about his answer, "I…well, to tell you the truth I was really paranoid that night. About your father, that is. I convinced Al to go with me back to your house so we could spy on him—"

"Spy? Why?"

Ed huffed; this kid wasn't making this easy. He shot another glance at his brother, who silently waved him to continue. Damn. Edward decided to go for a different tactic.

"Nina, do you remember your mother?"

Nina's eyes widened. Where did that come from?

"Not really. I recall they fought a lot, mostly about daddy trying to get a job. One day I woke up and she wasn't around anymore. Whenever I asked, daddy just said she was living with her parents, but then Granny Pinako told me that wasn't true…"

Despite not knowing much about her mother, young Nina did remember her father saying she was away. A few weeks after living with the Rockbells she had asked if she would be able to see her mother now that her father was gone. Winry had bit her lip and turned to her Grandmother, who bluntly—though in her own gentle way—informed Nina that Shou had lied to her and her mother had passed away a long time ago.

Nina had been distraught. So _both_ of her parents were gone? She was considered an orphan now?

Demanding why she hadn't known until now, Winry had picked the distressed girl up into her arms and held her. Winry had proffered that maybe her father wanted to keep the truth from her to protect her. Maybe Shou didn't want to see his little girl sad.

That had been enough for four-year-old Nina at the time, but now that she's older…

Come to think of it, wasn't the day her mother died also the day her father became a State Alchemist? But that didn't make any sense! How could she have died? She didn't think her mother had a tragic illness. Did she?

The pensive look on the brothers faces told Nina the reason for her death was something much more elaborate.

"How did she die? Do you know?"

Ed and Al shared another meaningful look toward each other. Almost like they were silently debating with each other. That made Nina frustrated. Why did those two have to be so…so… _secretive_ all the time?! She was getting more questions than answers, and Ed's cryptic wording and Al's silence were just making things worse!

"Arrrrgh! This is going nowhere!" she yelled out, causing her older brothers to jump. "I don't understand! What happened to my mother? What was my father doing? Why did you bring me to Resembool? Stop avoiding my questions and just _tell me, please_!""

The silence continued between the brothers. Finally Al stood up from his spot and put a supporting hand to his older brother's shoulder, "Brother, let's stop beating around the bush. Like you said, it's time she knew."

Ed nodded and took a deep breath. He just hoped that after all is said and done she didn't hate him for keeping her in the dark all these years…

"Your father wanted to become a State Alchemist really bad, Nina. In his desperation, he decided to take your mother and an animal and combine them into a chimera. He passed it off to the military as the first chimera to ever speak the human tongue. She died not long after the transmutation, refusing to eat or drink anything.

"Two years later, Al and I met you father in order to learn about bio-alchemy. He was told that if he didn't give satisfactory results to the military for his assessment, then his license would be revoked. His behavior and his failed results were fishy to me, so I forced Al to go with me back to the house to spy on him. We found him about to perform a transmutation…"

He had paused his explanation to gauge the girl's reaction. Her eyes were wide and her mouth a thin line. What he was telling her was putting her in shock, but he had to power through. She deserved the truth.

"Nina, he was about to turn you and Alexander into a chimera."

He wasn't sure what he expected her to do. He expected her to yell, scream, throw things, punch him, or _something_. Instead, Nina just stared at the floor, processing what she was told.

"I see…" she says in a whisper, no evidence of emotion found in her voice. "So that's why…"

"Nina, we're so sorry we kept this from you." Al apologized.

"Really sorry." Ed added, "You were just a little girl. None of us knew how to break it to you. We—"

"It's okay, guys," she interrupted them. The brothers looked to her and to see a small (obviously fake) smile on her face. "You both were trying to protect me. I probably would have done the same thing in your shoes. But you told me the truth when I asked, and for that I'm grateful."

The boys knew she was holding herself back. She was trying to keep face and be strong in front of them. Edward should know what that's like; he's an expert at hiding his emotions after all.

"Do you…" she begins, biting her lip as if she's afraid of what she's about to ask, "Do you think he even loved me?"

Edward's eyes widened. Honestly, it was a legitimate question. It was one Edward constantly asked himself during those years Hohenheim was missing from his life. Granted, Edward got his answer that yes, his father loved him and his brother despite the decisions he made. Nina, however, will never know due to Tucker's early demise.

Alphonse shifted back and forth, a sad and sympathetic look on his face as he stared at Nina. He turned to his brother, as if asking him if he knew the answer to the question. Thinking hard, Edward ventured to give an answer.

"I think he did."

Nina gave him a curious glance while Alphonse stared at him in shock. The younger Elric wasn't expecting _this_ from his brother of all people.

Ed rubbed the back of his head. This was hard to say. "I mean, I think your dad was a shitty person and he totally got what was coming to him," he winced at the frown Nina gave him, "but I'm sure he _did_ love you. He just… He lost himself in his work. He was focused on being an alchemist that he forgot what it was like to be a human. He forwent his morals for the sake of keeping what he had. In the end, he grew to love alchemy more than he loved his own daughter. And for that, he paid the price."

Al frowned, giving the ground a hard stare, "I personally don't know for sure, but I do agree somewhat with Ed. It's hard to imagine a parent hurting their child; but if they are driven to it by their own ambitions…well…"

Nina nodded, satisfied with the brothers' answer to her question, but her demeanor was still melancholy. Ed didn't blame her. To find out your father's work was more important to him than his daughter is a tough pill to swallow. He wished he could lie to her, to say something to make Shou _not_ seem like the worst human being on the planet, but that isn't fair to her and it would be against Ed's own standards as well.

Deciding that his little sister was in need of comfort, Edward pulled Nina into an embrace. Alphonse followed his brother's lead and wrapped his sturdy arms around Nina and Ed. Ed felt her stiffen, but slowly relaxed.

Swallowing his pride, Ed decided to tell Nina another truth; one he constantly thought of when he looked at Nina and saw how happy she was in her new life.

"I know you're sad right now, Squirt. That's okay; you have every right to be. But I want you to remember something. Your dad was shitty, but there is one good thing that happened when he made his big, stupid mistake: it led you to our family."

It was a pretty cheesy thing for Edward Elric to say (he purposefully ignore Al's snort), but it came from the heart and that's what mattered to Nina. Returning her surrogate older brothers' embrace, Nina allowed her emotions to take over and she sobbed hard into Ed's chest. Ed rubbed soothing circles into her back, allowing her to let it all out. He and his brother shared a bittersweet smile. This was reminiscent of the day Nina found out her father died (though, at least this group hug wasn't held back by cold metal exteriors).

"Mama, why is Auntie Nina crying?" came the frantic voice of Ed's son. He glanced over the couch and saw Thomas and Winry in the doorway, Thomas tugging on his mother's pant-leg and looking distressed.

Winry shushed the toddler and shot Ed a cautionary look, mentally asking him if everything was okay. Ed returned the look with one of his own that told her yes, everything was fine, but they needed to be alone. Thankfully his wife understood and gently pushed Thomas into the kitchen and away from the scene between his father, uncle, and aunt. With their son out of the room, Winry quietly moved to the bassinette to pick up Iris and take her into the kitchen, leaving Ed, Al, and Nina completely alone.

Ed's not sure how long he, Al, and Nina sat there holding each other. Nina's sobs ebbed away into sniffles and hiccups but she still clutched the Elrics like they were her lifelines. Eventually, the preteen quieted and gently pried herself away from her older brothers.

Her eyes were bloodshot, face blotchy from all the crying, and Ed could clearly see the emotional exhaustion in her body language, but was pleasantly surprised to see the genuine smile on Nina's face.

"You gonna be okay?" he asked. Dumbest question of the century if you asked him, but what else would you say after you spent—he checked the clock—fifteen minutes holding someone who was bawling their eyes out?

Nina gave a dry chuckle, but her smile still remained, "It's going take some time to adjust to the truth, but I'll be okay eventually. I have you two and everyone else to help me through it, right?"

"Of course!" Al said, giving Nina a quick peck on the top of her head.

Edward grinned and ruffled her hair, "Right. We're always here for you, kid. We always have been."

"I know. Thank you, Big Brother Edward and Big Brother Alphonse. For everything."

Nina shared another quick hug with both boys before Ed called out, "Okay, Tom, you can stop spying on us. She's okay."

Nina yelped as a little blond blur rushed from the kitchen and into her lap.

"Auntie Nina, are you okay? You were crying and sad and I didn't like it! Don't be sad, Auntie Nina, you can have my piece of apple pie if you want it."

Nina laughed at the toddler and settled him more comfortably in her lap as she hugged him, "Aww, Tom, that's so sweet of you. I feel better now, so you shouldn't worry. Your daddy and uncle are the best at making people feel better."

"I'd say Brother did most of the work," Al grinned. "It's hard to believe but he _does_ have a way with words."

"The hell is that supposed to mean?" Ed muttered to his little brother, a pout on his face. Al laughed.

"Ed does have a knack for making people feel better, doesn't he?" Winry chimed in, shifting her daughter on her hip as she gave her husband a kiss on the cheek. "If you three are feeling up for it, supper is ready. Thomas thoughtfully suggested we make Nina's favorite tonight."

"Yeah, I'm famished!" Nina proclaimed, picking Thomas up in her arms as she stood up, "Come on, Tom, you can sit next to me."

With a cheer, the preteen and her nephew went into the kitchen. Alphonse chuckled and followed after them. Edward and Winry watched them leave, Winry noticing a thoughtful look on the ex-alchemist's face.

"How did it go?"

Ed shrugged, "It was rough. I'm glad Al was here to help out, though. I don't know if I could have done it without him here."

"Do you think she's really okay?"

"Right now? Not really. She's aware of the truth though, so we just have to support her through it."

Winry nodded, "I don't think that'll be a problem."

"Nah," he agreed.

Things went back to their regular routine that night. The Rockbell-Elrics ate their meal as a family, telling stories and laughing at the children's antics. Later, Winry and Edward put their children to bed before the mechanic went back to doing some late night work. Meanwhile, the Elric brothers and Nina sat in the living room—the elderly Den and Alexander napping at their feet—to discuss alchemy and alkehestry notes.

Afterwards, Nina would call it a night. She bid her foster family goodnight and went to her room and crawl into her bed. In the dark of her room, she allowed her mind to wander to the day's events and her family.

What her father did to her was inexcusable and will leave a lasting effect on her and her view of him.

But Edward was right. Despite his mistake, she was thankful it led to her family.

* * *

 **AN:** The ending to this was supposed to be more lighthearted, but I put down writing for a few weeks and when I finally came back to it I had forgotten what exactly I wanted to write for it. I'm pretty satisfied with this one though.

The hardest thing about writing this was how to write Nina and her reaction to finding out how much of a piece of shit her father really was. I thought about her finding out younger than eleven, but I had to consider the development of a child's mind and if they could comprehend heavy things like your only parent lying to and manipulating you so he could keep his stupid job for his own selfish needs. I feel like that's a good reason for the brothers and the Rockbells to keep her in the dark for so long too: _would_ Nina be able to comprehend and understand the truth at a young age?

I'm no child psychologist, so I'm probably off base. And even the reaction I ended up giving Nina in the fic is probably not exactly realistic either. I do hope it's somewhat satisfactory in the end.

OH, before I forget, let me talk about Ed and Winry's kids. The named "Thomas" was inspired by a piece of fanart. I loved the name a lot and adopted it. The artist said the name was inspired by another fanfic but I don't know what fic that was. As for "Iris," well... I honestly couldn't think of anything better tbh.

Anyways, that concludes my Nina Lives AU. I have more headcanons for this universe that I would love to put into an anthology collection, but alas, it probably won't happen (I mean, it _did_ take almost a literal year to get this chapter uploaded...). Maybe someday though...

Review if you liked it, and constructive criticism is welcome. Have a nice day!


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